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Fifth- through eighth-grade students at Crown of Life capped off Science Week, just before holiday break, by showcasing their robotic inventions.

The classmates broke into groups to build and program Lego Mindstorms robots. Students built sets that were designed to maneuver across various terrain, some mimiced elephants by moving and elevating a trunk, some robots sorted colored blocks.

The school has hosted Science Week for eight years, each year focuses on a certain project such as robotics, aircraft or fuel cell cars. Principal Larry Darlage said the themes were chosen to help the students.

“That’s the way the economy is headed,” Darlage said. “It’s amazing how these students are able to pick up on the programming.”

School officials saids students spend the mornings of Science Week focusing on their projects.

“Normally, they are checked out the week before break, but they aren’t with this,” school board President Gail Chmiel said. “They don’t realize how much they’re learning.”